Feeling out of touch, thanks reader app

So I finally had some time to spend reading some of the blogs I follow. I loaded the reader app on my phone and started looking at posts.

But the app only has stuff up to late April. Even though I saw blogs with more recent updates once I went to the actual blogs. And I hit the update button on the app a few times.

I think I may have to get on a computer and mark stuff as read in web reader. With little one its hard to do much online unless I'm on my phone.

Whiskers, one year later

I was going to call this post "one year with Whiskers", but then I figured it sounded like something bad happened. And I should have posted this last month, so I guess this is a year and a month with Whiskers.

Last year my neighbor died leaving behind her four year old male cat. My husband and I would see the cat when he spent time outside. He was happy sitting under the bushes and watching the local wildlife. We debated about taking him, with already having three cats. He had a place with a family, but when that fell through we decided to take him.

We picked him up from the vet and got him settled into our back bedroom. He had space of his own while getting used to us. He got out of the room that evening and we struggled to carefully get him back. He was in our family room huddled in a corner and snarling. Poor thing didn't know what to make of everything.

Now he's completely at ease with our house and the other cats. He plays with Maya, the 6 year old cat. He tries to play with Toby, but Toby is to old to play rough.

And Whiskers is our pal. Once he got settled in he started jumping on us and sitting on our shoulders. It's quite a surprise to have a cat leap from the floor and land chest high. He loves to get pets and for us to play with him.

Now that we have the baby he has taken to being a lap cat. It doesn't matter who is holding the baby. Sometimes he will find another lap, and other times he will sit with whoever has baby. He also likes baby gear. He sleeps on the changing table, and climbs into her stroller. He also likes the chair in her nursery.

It's a rainy day

After a few hot sunny days we have rain today. As I was walking through the soft showers it got me thinking of being home with Baby Girl. When it rains I like to hold her near a window and sing the part of the rainy day song I remember.

It's a rainy day, its a rainy day
It's raining outside and I can't go out to play.

I need to look up the rest of the lyrics sometime. As she gets older rainy days will be good indoor craft days, she can have fun making things.
And reading is great for rainy days. We even do that now.

Dear daughter

Dear Daughter,

Today you decided to wake early. Your three month old self didn't cry. You made random baby noises to let us know we were needed.

After feeding you and having my coffee while daddy held you we had some extra time together. I held you in my lap while reading your Nutcracker ballet book. Off season, but that didn't matter. Such joy I had watching your eyes look at the pages while I read. I held your hand to guide it to the textures.

For the first time you opened your hands while reading. Your little fingers stroked the fairy's crown and the dancer's skirt. Your eyes were focused on the pages.

You did not cry when you woke because you trusted us to change and feed you. You relaxed in our arms, content with us. You were more interested in the book, a small piece of the world around you. Such wonder for one so small, shared with a mother. And a father.

Experimental blog posts ahead

I'm going to be experimenting with different types of blog posts. Feedback is welcome as I work towards writing with a slice of life.

Wordless Wednesday: Wings

T: Tammy the Turtle #AtoZChallenge

So maybe I didn't hit post and just saved this as a draft, though it does have the 23rd as it's schedule. At any rate here is my T post:

Max swung out of his tree and made his way over to the shallows in Mirror Lake. Birds chirped their early morning melody and the crisp cool morning forest air felt fresh on his face.

The air warmed as he reach the lake shore, the sun warming the shore rocks and the trees at the forest edge. One rock near the shore had a green dot. Tammy. Max grinned and swung into the tree closest to the shore. He grabbed a low laying branch with his tail and paused a moment. Tammy had her face in the water. As she started pulling her head out Max relaxed his paws and started falling. "Eeee", he squealed in his drop. His tail held and he stopped about a foot above Tammy.

"Aaah" Tammy jumped and nearly fell off her rock. She snapped playfully at him with her beak as she crawled back onto the flat part of the rock. Max was laughing and she soon joined him.

"Find any good pebbles?" Max asked. He lowered himself out of the tree and sat on the rocky sand near the water's edge.

"Sure," Tammy reached a front leg out and pointed to a small pile of pebbles in the next rock. The rock had a slight low spot in the middle perfect for holding pebbles.

Max grinned and reached for a pebble. He rolled the cool smooth small stone around in his paws. Tammy also picked one up. On Max's count to three they tossed the pebbles into the lake in between two waves. Plunk plunk sounded as the pebbles landed then sunk.

"Mine went farther," Tammy said with a grin on her face.

"Luck my friend," Max replied.

They each picked up another pebble and tossed them again. Plunk plunk. Max's went farther this time and they both laughed. What a way to spend the morning. Chatting with a friend and tossing pebbles in the morning sunlight.

A to Z, an update.

Ya, so I ended up getting behind with the challenge. I had a bit of a routine going which only lasted until the Easter holiday weekend. And now that I'm back to work I really don't see myself catching up. I just started back today.

I do appreciate all the comments on my blog. And I've also enjoyed visiting other blogs. I do want to see how many more I can visit, even if I'm not posting much here.

I have T scheduled. I wrote it awhile back. It might be nice to still post stories here occasionally.

G: Geordie the Giraffe #atozchallenge

Max swung through the trees dodging various branches. He stopped briefly in one tree enjoying the view where the trees thinned out onto the plains.

"Do you mind? I was just about to eat that leaf." Two eyes peered at him through the leaves.

"Sorry," Max said and stepped over. "I'm Max."

"Geordie," the giraffe replied in between bites of the leaf.

Max chatted while Geordie ate, telling him about his favorite parts of the forest to swing through.

Geordie smiled at Max then looked up. A few large leaves on a high branch gleamed in the sunlight. "Those tall leaves are extra tasty, but they are too high even for me."

"But not for me," Max said and swung upwards then scampered up the tree. He plucked the leaves and swung back down the Geordie's head. "Here you are."

"Why thank you." Geordie took the offered leaves and started eating them. While he did Geordie told Max about his heard and some of the best places he liked to eat

F: Farley the Frog #AtoZChallenge

Max the Monkey skipped along the creek shore. The water splashed over rocks and gurgled in little gullies. He laughed seeing a leaf float along.

"Ribbit!"

Max stopped and stepped closer to the creek's edge. In the mud next to the shallows two eyes peeked out at him. The eyes were followed by a light green body as the frog landed on a rock. "Hello I'm Max," Max said. He had heard of frogs before from Tammy his turtle friend. He had even met a few before. Not this one though.

"Farley," The frog introduced himself. "Fine day we are having, no?"

"Fine fine indeed," Monkey replied. "It would be even more fun if we could play. Would you want to?"

"Sure. How about hopscotch?" Farley leaped up to the bank sitting right at Max's paws. He looked up at the monkey.

Max had to ask what that was. The frog croaked again, his call sounding through the trees around them. Farley took a large leap back into the creek. He landed on one rock, then leaped to another. In a few moments he was on the other side of the creek. He paused before returning to Max.

"Like that. Stay on the rocks and don't get wet." Farley smiled at Max.

"I am in," Max replied with a grin of his own. He jumped into the creek, paws landing on rocks. Farley followed finding other rocks to leap onto. They both laughed while jumping around.

(Today was almost F for frazzled - it's one of those days)